Thursday, March 14, 2024

It is the 14th of March 2024. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

A very happy St. Mathilda’s day to you. I’m guessing you haven’t yet made plans, that this isn’t one of the holiday’s automatically populated on your iCalendars. And I can understand why, 10th century Saxon queens don’t always get the publicity they deserve- but sit down (or continue about whatever you’re doing) and let me tell you the story of this remarkable woman who would have a major influence on the church and become the patron saint of both people with disappointing children (!) And those ridiculed for their piety.

Her dates are sometime in the 890s to 968 when she died on this, the 14th of March in 968. So to understand her we do need to get Medieval, and so let me give you a quick refresher.

The story of the development of the Medieval church can find foundations in the persons of Constantine and Charlemagne- Constantine the Emperor who first legalized Christianity in the 300s and then Charlemagne who united the church and then Holy Roman Empire when he was crowned by the Pope on Christmas Day in 800.

Except Charlemagne’s heirs were disappointing to say the least. None could keep the Germanic kingdom and its Renaissance going. Rival heirs and kings sought to consolidate their own power and the was a real chance that the Empire so crucial to the history of the church could have dissipated. Enter Henry the Fowler (called such as he was apparently a talented Falconer) the king of East Francia. His military conquests lead to a centralized government that would dictate the direction of Charlemagne’s flagging empire. And it was his wife, our Mathilda (of Ringleheim) whose works and reputation would direct the spiritual life of the Empire.

Upon receiving her sizable dowry she surprised many by donating it to use by the church for the poor and for the building of monasteries. For this she became either a saint or a fool- a saint in that not one, but two biographies were written about her. This alone makes her stand out as a woman in the Middle Ages but also because these biographies (or hagiographies) praise not just her quiet piety and life of prayer (that would be common enough) but her wisdom in both ecclesiastical and secular affairs.

The Lives of Mathilda- one written earlier in her life and one after her death- are remarkable as mirrors into what was held up as a good life (the professional historians can debate what did or did not “actually” happen- what matters to me is how she was represented). She would be mocked on account of her piety (and we are supposed to pity her for this), thus becoming the saint of those ridiculed for their faith. She was also a godly and powerful leader after the death of Henry when his heir, the young Otto was still too young to rule.

She would raise 5 children (and is thus the patron saint of large families, to which Gillespie says “that’s nothing”) and the two eldest boys would clash over their deceased fathers title. They would agree that their mother foolishly gave too much to the church and she would be exiled (thus also becoming the patron saint of mothers with disappointing children) but was welcomed back and later praised by her son Otto who was crowned Emperor- the one who would be given the title “the Great” and would lead the Ottonian Renaissance and put Charlemagne’s legacy and Holy Roman Empire on firmer ground. And the mature Otto is said, like his father, to have been influenced by the piety of his mother and her dedication to building monasteries and encouraging education- this on the cusp of the development of the Cathedral school and the systems of education which have come down to us today. Her monasteries- primary that at Quedlinburg would become a repository of important historical texts and scholarship which would help the Ottonian renaissance flourish and eventually lead to the turn into the Early modern age. So, you say you have nothing planned for today, St. Mathilda’s Day? Celebrate as you will, but remember the sainted Queen whose works and pious example helped set the foundations of the western church and world before her death on this, the 14th of March in 968.

 

 

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary and the well trod territory of the 51st Psalm, so let’s take a section of it and read from the Scottish Metrical Psalter:

6  Behold, thou in the inward parts

         with truth delighted art;

      And wisdom thou shalt make me know

         within the hidden part.

  

7  Do thou with hyssop sprinkle me,

         I shall be cleansed so;

      Yea, wash thou me, and then I shall

         be whiter than the snow.

 

  8  Of gladness and of joyfulness

         make me to hear the voice;

      That so these very bones which thou

         hast broken may rejoice.

 

  9  All mine iniquities blot out,

         thy face hide from my sin.

  10  Create a clean heart, Lord, renew

         a right sp'rit me within.

 

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 14th of March 2024, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man with like twice the amount of kids that Mathilda had- and none of them have exiled him even once- He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man delighted to read and write the name Ringleheim, something something, that’s my name too… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.